ZEUS 50 Laps & More at the MOORS VALLEY RAILWAY'S 'STEAM SPECTACULAR' - 06/09/2025

On Saturday 6th September 2025, Moors Valley Railway Volunteer Driver Wayne Avery set out on a challenge: to drive 50 laps of the railway for charity in his 50th Birthday Year using MVR 2-6-2 No.11 "Zeus". Starting at just after 7am in the morning, Wayne & "Zeus" ran around 21 laps before public running started at 10:15am. This was then followed by a double-reverse run called 'THE NEW FORESTER' with one lap going the wrong-way around the Spiral and Return Loops of the railway before finishing the rest of the morning doing usual service laps. Just after lunch, Wayne's daughter Macy joined him for a couple of hours double-heading MVR 'Fairlie' 0-4-4T "Aurora" with "Zeus" whilst son Finley was the guard for the duration of the public running. When public running finished at 5pm, Wayne had completed 41 or 42 (I think) leaving him to finish off the remaining laps mostly empty; although there was a small derailment with a tender bogie coming off but this was quickly resolved. For the final two laps, Wayne & "Zeus" did another double-reverse lap before finishing at Kingsmere Platform 4 to a round of applause and a celebration banner (which did not break), finishing his marathon at around 7pm. Also running at the Gala were as follows... MVR 'Tinkerbell' 0-4-2T No.3 "Talos" (on Driver For A Fiver in the yard at Kingsmere) MVR 'Tinkerbell' 0-4-2T No.4 "Tinkerbell" (on 'THE DOREST FLYER' and 'THE TUCKTONIAN') MVR 2-6-2 No.10 "Offa" (on Regular Passenger Service and Permanent Way Train) MVR 2-4-4T No.9 "Jason" (on 'THE DOREST FLYER' and Regular Passenger Service) MVR 2-4-4T No.24 "Perseus" (on Regular Passenger Service) MVR 2-4-0 "Guinevere" (on 'THE TUCKTONIAN' and 'THE CASTLEMAN GOODS' MVR 'Fairlie' 0-4-4T "Aurora" (on Permanent Way Train and double-heading with "Zeus") Like - Comment - Subscribe